Founding Fathers: The Aaron Burr Quiz

Aaron Burr is one of the most intriguing of the Founding Fathers — he fought in the Revolutionary War, ran for president multiple times and was ultimately arrested for treason. Oh, and there was also that duel. How much do you know about Aaron Burr?

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Question 1 of 30

Where was Aaron Burr born?

New York

New Jersey

Burr was born in Newark, N.J., in February 1756.

Pennsylvania

Question 2 of 30

At what age was Burr orphaned?

2

Burr's parents died within a year of each other when he was 2 years old.

8

16

Question 3 of 30

Before Burr decided to study law, what was his career path?

theology

After graduating from the College of New Jersey, Burr studied theology before deciding on law.

medicine

literature

Question 4 of 30

When Burr was in the Continental Army, he marched to Quebec with this general.

Nathanael Greene

the Marquis de Lafayette

Benedict Arnold

Burr was a volunteer solider in Benedict Arnold's march to Quebec in the fall of 1775.

Question 5 of 30

Burr was promoted to captain after the Battle of Quebec and was asked to work in New York for ____________.

John Adams

George Washington

Burr got a position on Washington's staff but left soon after to go back onto the battlefield.

Thomas Jefferson

Question 6 of 30

Burr was promoted to this rank in July 1777.

lieutenant colonel

Burr was made lieutenant colonel and put in charge of a regiment.

major

brigadier general

Question 7 of 30

Why did Burr resign from the army?

He was wounded.

He disagreed with Washington.

He was tired and sick.

Burr was in bad health and just generally burned out when he left the army in March 1779.

Question 8 of 30

What was Burr's first elected position?

mayor

state assemblyman

After leaving the army, Burr practiced law for a few years and then ran for the New York state assembly.

senator

Question 9 of 30

What was one of Burr's policy objectives when he was an assemblyman?

taxing the rich

ending the war with England

abolition of slavery

Burr was an early advocate of ending slavery. He introduced an (unsuccessful) abolition amendment in 1784.

Question 10 of 30

Burr held two more positions before he ran for president in 1796: New York attorney general and ________.

senator

Burr was a New York senator from 1791 to 1797.

congressman

secretary of state

Question 11 of 30

How did Burr do in the 1796 presidential election?

He won, but then lost after a recount.

He came in second.

He came in fourth.

Burr came in fourth, behind John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Pickney.

Question 12 of 30

What happened in the 1800 election?

Burr came in fourth again.

Burr won, but then lost after a recount.

He tied with Thomas Jefferson.

Burr got the same number of electoral votes as Jefferson — but because of the convoluted election method used in those days, Jefferson took the presidency.

Question 13 of 30

What position did Burr end up with?

secretary of state

speaker of the house

vice president

Burr was Jefferson's vice president, even though the two pretty much never saw eye-to-eye.

Question 14 of 30

While he was vice president, Burr famously killed Alexander Hamilton in an 1804 duel. Why didn't Burr and Alexander Hamilton like each other?

Hamilton accused Burr of taking bribes when he was an assemblyman.

Burr took Hamilton's father-in-law's senate seat.

The two men had a long-simmering mutual dislike, but many historians say it began when Burr beat out Philip Schuyler, Hamilton's father-in-law, for a senate seat in 1791.

Hamilton insulted Burr's wife.

Question 15 of 30

Who challenged whom to the duel?

Burr challenged Hamilton.

Aaron Burr was definitely not the kind of man who shied away from a fight.

Hamilton challenged Burr.

They challenged each other simultaneously.

Question 16 of 30

Where was the duel?

Washington D.C.

New York

New Jersey

The duel took place in Weehawken, N.J., across the Hudson River from Manhattan.

Question 17 of 30

Why was it there?

because it was convenient to their homes

because dueling carried the death penalty in New York

Dueling was illegal in both New York and New Jersey, but it wasn't a death-penalty crime in New Jersey.

because there was more room for spectators at the Weehawken location

Question 18 of 30

Who in Hamilton's family had been killed in a duel in that very spot a few years earlier?

his son

In 1801, 19-year-old Philip Hamilton was killed in a duel at the Weehawken spot — and the same guns had been used.

his father

his brother

Question 19 of 30

This was Burr's second duel. Who was his first opponent?

his wife's cousin

his neighbor

Hamilton's brother-in-law

In 1799 Burr dueled John Baker Church, Hamilton's brother-in-law, because Church said Burr had been taking bribes. Both men missed.

Question 20 of 30

Where did Burr shoot Hamilton?

in the face

in the abdomen

Burr's bullet went through Hamilton's liver and spine.

in the chest

Question 21 of 30

What did Burr do immediately after the duel?

went to the hospital with Hamilton

went home for breakfast

By all accounts, Burr went home and ate breakfast with a visitor and didn't mention that he had probably just killed someone.

tried to flee to Canada

Question 22 of 30

Was Burr charged with murder?

yes

Burr was charged with a misdemeanor for dueling and a felony count of murder. But the charges were eventually dropped.

no

Question 23 of 30

After Burr finished his term as vice president, what did he do?

He ran for governor of New York.

Jefferson dropped Burr from his ticket for the 1804 election, so Burr decided to run for governor of New York.

He went to live in London.

He tried to start a new political party.

Question 24 of 30

Did he win?

yes

no

Burr, by now a highly controversial figure, was beaten in a landslide by Morgan Lewis.

Question 25 of 30

Why did people get so mad with Burr when he founded the Bank of Manhattan Company?

It was supposed to be a water company, not a bank.

In 1799, Burr said he was starting a water company — but he secretly changed the charter to make it a bank instead. And New Yorkers really needed clean water.

It was supposed to be a hospital, not a bank.

It was supposed to be a ship-building company, not a bank.

Question 26 of 30

What is that bank known as today?

Bank of America

JPMorgan Chase

The Bank of Manhattan is the original predecessor of the gigantic entity that is now JPMorgan Chase.

Merrill Lynch

Question 27 of 30

Who called Burr "the most restless, impatient, artful, indefatigable and unprincipled intriguer in the United States, if not the world."

Thomas Jefferson

John Adams

None of these three men were big fans of Burr, but the quote is Adams'.

George Washington

Question 28 of 30

Burr had a portrait of this female author hanging over his mantel.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Burr was a well-known womanizer but also an early feminist. He greatly admired Mary Wollstonecraft, author of "A Vindication of the Rights of Women."

Sarah Jennings Churchill

Elizabeth Robinson Montagu

Question 29 of 30

Why was Burr arrested for treason in 1807?

He tried to start a coup against Jefferson.

He was plotting to murder George Washington.

Jefferson thought he was planning to steal territory.

To this day, no one is totally sure what happened in 1807. Burr was in the Louisiana Territory, apparently trying to drum up a militia to help Mexico overthrow Spain in what is now the southwest United States. He was found not guilty.